Forming machine



Aug. 6, 1946. 1 G. BERQUlsT v 2,405,128

FORMING MACHINE Filed April 8, 1944 5 Sheecs--Shfml l Aug- 6, 1946. L. G. BERQUlsT 2,405,128

FORMING MACHINE Filed April 8, 1944 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 Aug. 6, 1946. L. G. BERQUls-r FORMING MACHINE Filed April 8, 1944 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 Aug- 6, 1945- L. G. BERQUIST 2,405,128

FORMING MACHINE Filed April 8, 1944 5 Sheets-Sheet 4 ug. 6, 1946. L, G. BERQUgST .2,405,128

FORMING MACEENE Filed April 8, 1944 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 Patented Aug. 6, 1946 FORMING MACHINE Leonard G. Berqulst, Niles, Mich., assigner to National-Standard Company, a corporation of Michigan Application April 8, 1944, SerialNo. 530,204

9 Claims. 1

This invention relates to forming machines for shaping a continuous strip of metal, and more particularly to a machine wherein a strip of metal is drawn between forming rolls, and may subsequently be helically wound and soldered to form a flexible tube.

The primary object oi the present invention is to provide an improved forming machine wherein the space between the coacting rolls can be regulated very accurately by individual adjusting means, and the machine may be opened up to receive a new strip of metal without disturbingthe individual adjusting means.

The invention is illustrated in a preferred embodiment in the accompanying drawings in which- Figure 1 is a side elevational view of a machine embodying the invention; Fig. 2, a tcp plan view of the same; Fig. 3, a fragmentary sectional view taken as indicated at line 3-3 of Fig. 1; Fig. 4, an end elevational view of the entry side of the machine; Fig. 5, a fragmentary sectional view taken as indicated at line 5-5 of Fig. l; Fig. 6, a vertical sectional view taken as indicated at line 6--6 of Fig. l; Fig. 7, a fragmentary elevational View showing a modified construction; and Fig. 8, a side elevational view showing another modified constrution.

In the embodiment illustrated in Figs. 1 6, a main frame 9 is provided with an upwardly extending standard ID on which are slidably mounted a series of main carriers I I. An auxiliary carrier I2 ls secured to each of the main carriers II, and afford bearings for upper forming rolls I3 which are complementary to lower forming rolls I4 journalled in yokes I5, which are rigidly secured to the main frame by means of bolts I5.

As will best be understood from Fig. 6, a series of hollow upwardly extending tapped liner pins I1 are secured to the main frame by means of set screws I8. Each of the carriers Il is bored t0 make a, sliding connection With one of the pins I'l. A compression spring I9 rests on the top of each liner pin I'l and bears against a bushing 20 which makes a, tight pressed iit with the upper end of the bore in the carrier. A clamping screw 2I, having a handle 22 has a shouldel` 23 to bear against the bushing, and its threaded lower shank extends into the tapped opening in the liner pin I'I. Thus it will be understood that when the clamping screw is unscrewed, the spring I9 will urge the carrier II upwardly and suflicient space may be provided between the forming rolls I3 and I4 to permit a ilat strip of metal to be inserted. When the screw is turned down again as far as it can go, the forming rolls will be returned to operative position Without disturbing their individual adjustment.

As will be seen in Fig. 6, each of the auxiliary carriers or yokes I2 is adjustably secured to the carrier II by means of a machine screw 24, extending through an enlarged clearance slot 25. A threaded stud 26 is secured to the auxiliary carrier I2 by means of a pin 21. The stud extends through an arm 28 of the carrier II, and is provided with a pair of nuts 29 and 30, which enable the auxiliary carrier to be adjusted up and down on the carrier Il with a high degree of accuracy, when the bolt 24 is loosened.

As will be understood from Figs. 3 and 5, the forming rolls are each provided with ball bearings 3I and the upper and lower rolls are complementary to each other, so that a metal strip advancing from right to left as viewed in Fig. 1, will gradually be shaped into the form shown in Fig. 5, as it leaves the machine. In that shape the metal strip is ready to be wound helically and soldered to itself to form a metal flexible tube. The machine is provided at its entry end with an upper flat guide roll 32, which is carried by the main carrier I I so as to move up and down therewith. A lower guide roll 33 is journalled on the main frame. The machine is also provided with a pair of lateral guide rolls 34 and 35, which are grooved to engage and bend one edge of the metal strip down and the other edge up before the strip reaches the horizontal grooved guide rolls 3S. The guide roll brackets are adjustable on the machine by means of nuts 3l to accommodate different widths of strips.

Whenever a length of metal strip is used up, the operator must open up the machine to admit a new strip. This is done by unscrewing each or" the clamping screws 2I and threading the strip through the guide rolls and between the coacting forming rolls. The forming rolls may then be brought back into properly adjusted relation by merely turning each of the clamping screws until the carrier travels down as far as it can go.

In the modication shown in Fig. '7, the apparatus is similar, except that the clamping screws 2I have been replaced by a toggle mechanism. The main frame is provided with an upwardly extending arm 38, on which is pivoted at 39 a lever 40. The lever is pivoted at 4I to a pitman 42, which is pivotally connected at 43 to a shaft 44 to raise and lower the carrier II. rlhe mechanism is self locking, and to open the rolls it is merely necessary to move the arm 40 to the position indicated by the dotted line.

In Fig. 8, is shown somewhat diagrammatically, another modication wherein one set of forming rolls is journalled in the bottom frame 45, and the other set is journalled in the top frame 45, which is hinged to the lower frame at 41. At the entry side of the machine is a clamping arm 48, which is provided with a link 49, pivotally secured to the top frame at 50, so that when the arm 48 is thrown downwardly about a bearing socket 5I, the rolls will be drawn into operative position. The top frame may be released by swinging the arm 48 to the position shown by dotted lines to admit a new strip of metal. The top forming rolls are individually adjustable. It will be understood that the clamping latch and hinge are positioned out of the line of travel of the strip. If preferred. the hinge and latch may be replaced by screws, cams, or some other conventional clamping means.

The foregoing detailed description is given for clearness of understanding only, and no unnecessary limitations should be understood therefrom, for some modifications will be obvious to those skilled in the art.

I claim:

l. In a machine for forming a continuous strip of metal: a frame; a forming roll journalled in said frame; a main carrier mounted on said frame; an auxiliary carrier secured to said main carrier; a second forming roll journalled in said auxiliary carrier to coact with the rst mentioned roll in shaping a strip of metal drawn between said rolls; means for accurately adjusting the position of the auxiliary carrier on the main carrier; and means for moving the main carrier bodily to and from a xed position on the frame without disturbing the adjustment between carriers.

2. A machine as specified in claim l, in which the main carrier is slidably mounted on the frame and the means for moving the main carrier includes a manually operable clamping screw.

3. A machine as specified in claim 1, in which the main carrier is slidably mounted on a hollow tapped liner pin secured to the frame, a spring urges said carrier away from xed position on said pin, and a manually operable clamping screw is threaded into the liner pin to draw the carrier to xed position.

4. A machine as speciiied in claim 1, in which the main carrier is slidably mounted on the frame and the means for moving the main carrier includes a manually operable toggle mechanism.

5. In a machine for forming a continuous strip of metal: a frame; a plurality of lower forming rolls journalled in said frame; a main carrier slidably mounted on the frame above each of said lower rolls; an auxiliary carrier adjustably mounted on each of said main carriers; an upper forming roll journalled in each of said auxiliary carriers, said roll being complementary to the companion lower forming roll to shape a strip of metal drawn between said rolls; and means for moving said main carriers to and from a xed position, said means opening the space between the upper and lower rolls.

6. A forming machine comprising: a plurality of forming rolls journalled in a fixed frame; a plurality of complementary forming rolls journalled in said frame t0 coact with said first mentioned rolls and progressively shape a strip of metal drawn between said rolls, said complementary rolls having individual adjusting means for regulating the operating space between rolls; and means for opening the space between the coacting rolls without disturbing the individual adjusting means.

'7. A' machine as specied in claim 6, in which the means for opening the space between coacting pairs of rolls includes manually operable clamping screws.

8. A machine as specified in claim 6, in which the means for opening the space between coacting pairs of rolls includes a toggle lever mechanism for each complementary forming roll.

9. A machine as specied in claim 6, including two pairs of guide rolls, at one end of the frame, to direct the metal strip into the rst pair of forming rolls.

LEONARD G. BERQUIST. 

